Personally, I'm still not quite sure what the hell I am doing with my life. There comes a point in everybody's life when they look around and reflect on where they have gone and where they are headed. Well, right now I'm balls deep in stand-up comedy and don't have a clue as to what direction it is sending me in. I've been performing for a while now and at first it was out of the pure enjoyment of making people laugh that drove me to the stage. There was no actual thought that this could become my life’s ambition. I went to college, earned a degree and built up a nice little resume that would certainly get me an entry level job in the corporate world spending most of my time on YouTube and talking to my co-workers about Grey's Anatomy.
Society laid out a nice little path for me to follow. Stable salary, 401K, vacation time, health insurance and career advancement. All I had to do was follow the steps in front of me and it would surely lead to a nice suburban home with a white picket fence, 2.5 children and a dog named Rusty. Sounds like the American Dream.... and for most it is.
Unfortunately, I have chosen to follow a different dream. I've decided to follow one of those dreams that they tell you about in elementary school. They tell you to reach for the stars and if you work hard enough you can be anything you want to be. You can be an astronaut, a fireman, an actor, the president or even a comedian. For many, when you get older, reality sets in and you begin to realize following your dreams means a whole lot of sacrifice and putting your life and future on the line. It means you have to risk everything just for a chance to roll the dice.
Well, here I am. Taking this leap into an unknown world. Stepping off the path of security and taking a road less traveled. It's never been paved and there are no road signs to point me in the right direction. There are many others on this road with me. All with very similar dreams and risking just as much. If I look far enough ahead I can see a light at the end...but its a long journey and one that statistically will end in defeat. It’s strange to be in an industry that produces so much laughter, but creates fear and uncertainty in those who create it.
They say to always follow your dreams, so that is what I’m doing. I’ve decided to put my life on hold and take that chance to roll the dice. I just hope it doesn’t turn up craps.
That wasn't very funny was it? Ugh...I suck.